Improvements to journeys in Preston and South Ribble

Lancashire County Council is continuing the phased approach to changes to the A582 in Preston and South Ribble.

Through the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal, since 2014 we've improved the junctions along the A582 at Stanifield Lane, Tank Roundabout, Chain House Lane, Pope Lane, Broad Oak Roundabout and Oaks Wood Roundabout.

We’ve also widened Golden Way, south of Cop Lane, to provide a dual carriageway to Broad Oak Roundabout and additional southbound capacity between Broad Oak Roundabout and Pope Lane. 

We have previously proposed the creation of a dual carriageway along the A582. This remains an aspiration however these revised proposals reflect changes in travel habits and traffic growth which can be accommodated without full dualling at this time. It offers environmental and decarbonisation benefits aligned with national priorities for sustainable travel choices, and provides greater certainty of delivery at this time.

Our long-term aim is to upgrade the whole of the A582 between Golden Way and Stanifield Lane to a dual carriageway.

The A582 in Preston and South Ribble, one of Central Lancashire's busiest roads, is congested at peak times.

Alternative local roads through Lostock Hall, which should be quiet local routes for residents, also have large numbers of vehicles passing through them, making journeys unreliable and unpleasant for local residents.

We are looking to improve journeys in the area by increasing capacity on the A582 through junction upgrades and the use of new technology to better manage traffic flows into and out of Preston.

The aim is to reduce congestion and improve journey times along the A582 between the M65 and Preston to support economic growth, provide better access to existing employment sites and support the delivery of new homes.

Upgrades on the A582 would also support and enable improvements to be made to the residential routes through Lostock Hall, Lower Penwortham and Preston.

Traffic calming, new crossings, better walking and cycling facilities, new bus shelters and live bus information at bus stops are proposed along Leyland Road and Fishergate Hill. These changes would make these places more attractive and vibrant places to live, and would improve walking, cycling or public transport options.

We’re proposing to use new and advanced technology which will help to manage traffic effectively and prioritise buses and lorries through junctions, improving journey times and air quality.

The A582 junctions at Stanifield Lane and Croston Road junction would be reconfigured to improve capacity and provide better walking and cycling crossings, complementing the junction improvements already completed along the A582.

On Lostock Lane between the A6 and Stanifield Lane, an additional westbound lane would be created, along with a new pedestrian crossing of the A582 between Todd Lane South and Old School Lane.

We're also proposing to use technology to more effectively manage traffic and prioritise buses using Real Time data and information to improve vehicle flow, tackle congestion and improve air quality.

Improvements to the bus and active travel route between Preston and Lostock Hall would support sustainable travel choices for local trips and complement the improvements on the A582.

Proposals along this corridor, and routes linking to the A582 along Pope Lane and Croston Road, would include new and improved pedestrian crossings, improved cycle connections between existing routes, and bus priority measures to improve journey time reliability and improved passenger information. Traffic calming features are proposed to create safer environments for all road users. 

Proposed highway changes at the end of the M65 would support the Lancashire Central development site. Further highway changes at Junction 29 of the M6, and the junction of the A6 and Wigan Road would improve capacity. 

This corridor is between Fishergate Hill in Preston, along the B5254 Leyland Road through Lostock Hall, to the Stanifield Lane / A582 junction in Preston and South Ribble.

It is currently a busy route for traffic and often used as an alternative to the A582, meaning many people driving through are not local residents or visitors. The proposed upgrades on the A582 mean that more people will be able to use the main A582 route, enabling improvements to be made on this corridor.

The proposals aim to discourage through-traffic by using traffic calming and more pedestrian crossings, helping to improve road safety and creating better local environments with fewer speeding vehicles.

Currently due to the high volume of traffic, bus journeys can be unreliable. So the proposals include new technology to prioritise buses through junctions and add live bus information to bus stops to keep passengers informed.

The improvements aim to make the area more attractive, a vibrant place to live and encourage people to travel by sustainable modes such as walking, cycling or by bus to help improve air quality.

The proposals include:

·      Traffic calming on Leyland Road to create a safer environment for all road users.

·      Improved walking and cycling crossings along Leyland Road.

·      Upgrading the bus stops along Leyland Road to have accessible boarding points and shelters.

·      Providing live information boards which show when the next bus will arrive at bus stops.

·      Reconfiguring the existing roundabout junction at the northern end of Leyland Road to incorporate a bus-only access point, known as a bus gate.

·      A new bus lane on Liverpool Road between Fishergate Hill and Leyland Road, and on Strand Road south of Guild Way.

·      Cycle network improvements including a dedicated cycleway on Leyland Road between Holme Road and Riverside Road, and on Fishergate Hill.

·      Changes to the junction of Strand Road and Guild Way to provide better access to the A582 and support sustainable travel.

An interactive map is shown below, which you can use to view the changes proposed to Leyland Road and the surrounding areas. You can zoom into areas to view them, and then select the purple pin icons for more information on the proposed changes.

In addition to the above, the below image has been prepared which shows the junction at the of Leyland Road and Riverside Road. A raised junction table, new crossings and a cycle lane can be seen as part of the proposals in this location.

Please drag the arrows in the middle of the image from right to left, to see the existing junction and the proposed layout.

To improve access to the south of Preston and onward to the motorway network from north west Preston, we're proposing to improve the junction of Strand Road and Guild Way. On Fishergate Hill, we're proposing a new cycleway from Preston railway station to Broadgate junction, linking to the popular Guild Wheel route and the Preston to Penwortham cycle track. 

Liverpool Road is currently two lanes wide west of Broadgate. We're proposing to reallocate the nearside lane to buses and cycles only, with the outside lane remaining for other vehicles. This is a busy corridor for buses close to Preston city centre and the new bus lane would help to improve bus journey times and reliability.

We're proposing a new cycle lane from Preston railway station to Broadgate junction, linking to the popular Guild Wheel route and the Preston to Penwortham Cycle Superhighway at the new Cyclops junction.

 The junctions at Bow Lane and Hartington Road would be upgraded to provide pedestrian crossings. New traffic signal technology would co-ordinate timings to improve bus journeys on this popular route.

Please drag the arrows in the middle of the image from right to left, to see the existing junction and the proposed layout.

Our proposals would increase capacity on the A582, complementing junction improvement works already completed along this route. The aim is to help to manage the road network more efficiently, making journeys more reliable for all users.

The junctions at Croston Road and Stanifield Lane would be reconfigured to improve performance and provide new and improved walking and cycling crossings.

New technology would be added at all junctions along the A582 to complement the physical changes. This would include upgraded traffic signals to manage traffic more efficiently, Real Time information connections (so traffic flows could be monitored live), lorry detectors to keep vehicles moving to improve air quality, and bus detectors to improve journey times and reliability for bus users.

The plans and images below show the existing road layout followed by the proposed alterations. Please click on the purple pins for more information on the proposals.

To improve access from Preston, we're proposing to add an additional lane to Guild Way and the Guild Way slip road from the junction with Strand Road. With new traffic signal technology, this should ease congestion and improve access to the A582 and A59 for drivers.

These capacity improvements should redirect non-local traffic to use the more appropriate A582 route, supporting the proposals for the sustainable travel corridor between Preston and Lostock Hall.

With improved access to the A582 and A59, one of the southbound lanes on Strand Road approaching Broadgate would also be converted to a bus and cycle lane. This would complement works already completed at the Broadgate Cyclops junction, extending and improving the route choices for cycling.

Please drag the arrows in the middle of the image below from right to left, to see the existing junction and the proposed layout.

The below image shows a view of the existing and proposed Leyland Road junction.

Please drag the arrows in the middle of the image from right to left, to see the existing junction and the proposed layout.

The below image provides a birds eye view of the junction in its current layout, and how it will look once changes have been made.

Please drag the arrows in the middle of the image from right to left, to see the existing junction and the proposed layout.

We are asking for your views on our proposals to improve journeys in Preston and South Ribble that are presented on this page. Your views and comments will help to shape the designs for the scheme.

The survey where you provide your comments on the proposals can be found by clicking button the below:

The engagement will be open from Thursday 11 July to Wednesday 21 August.

If you require assistance or have any additional questions, please contact the team by emailing  A582@lancashire.gov.uk 

We have scheduled 2 drop-in events where you can come and talk to the team about the proposals. Details of these are below.

18th July, 2024 between 9am-8pm at St Gerard's Parochial Centre, Brownedge Road, Lostock Hall, PR5 5AA

30th July, 2024 between 9am-8pm at Gujarat Hindu Society Temple Conference Centre, South Meadow Lane, Preston, PR1 8JN

Outline planning permission has been granted for the Lancashire Central strategic employment site at Cuerden, which aims to create thousands of new jobs with a focus on high-quality employment uses.

This will involve the future delivery of up to 1.6million sq. ft. of high-quality commercial and business space, with the potential to create around 2,400 job opportunities during the construction phases and up to 5,600 full time jobs once operational. The aim is to deliver significant economic and employment benefits for the people of Lancashire.

The outline planning permission for this mixed-use development sets out the principle for developing the site, as well as more detailed plans for road access into the site and key environmental measures.

Plans include significant infrastructure investment including highways, pedestrian and cycle routes. The improvements set out as part of the Lancashire Central planning application form part of our proposals and provide a wider benefit to journeys between Preston and the motorway network. They are detailed here for context to demonstrate how they fit in with the overall plans. For more information, please visit:  lancashirecentral.co.uk. 

At the end of the M65 the number of lanes will increase to four around a section of the roundabout to create a new exit for the Lancashire Central site.

The roundabout will also become a fully traffic signal-controlled gyratory to improve access from the A6 and A582 to the Lancashire Central site.

The merge lanes at the end of the M65 and M6 will be altered to not allow merging between vehicles from the M6 and the M65. These exits will be signalised to ensure safe access onto the roundabout.